I’ve seen a few of my favorite bloggers write about their supplement routine and I thought it was a great idea! I’ve been taking supplements for the past year and a few of them have completely changed my body. Since going vegetarian about seven months ago I’ve found that it’s essential for me to take a daily vitamin so that I’m getting all the vitamins that my body needs to run properly.
So, I’ll be going through each supplement and talk about how often I take it and why. So let’s get into it!
One A Day Women’s Multivitamin
I’ve struggled to find a daily vitamin that doesn’t make me nauseous since high school. My mom always bought us really nice natural vitamins and they always made me feel queasy. I assumed there was one culprit in the bunch that was making me feel off, but instead of trying to find out what it was I just stopped taking them all together. Now that I’m much older and see the importance of a multivitamin I finally found one that works for me and it’s super affordable! I take this with breakfast every day and it definitely helps keep my energy up thanks to all the B Vitamins. This particular multivitamin contains 1000 mcg’s of biotin and I can definitely say I’ve noticed that my nails have grown stronger since I’ve started taking these! I will say that they are huge so I have to break them in half to take. However, I just found that they make a petite version so I’ll be picking those up asap!
NOW Probiotic-10 25 Billion
Probiotics have completely changed my life! I first took them two summers ago before I was traveling out of the country. I read that you should prep your stomach for a trip overseas because it will be more sensitive to the food and such. I didn’t get sick while on vacation so it was definitely a success. I revisited the idea of probiotics shortly after just because I wanted to get my body more regular. I also get nauseous super easily and I assumed they would help keep my stomach strong. If you don’t know you have to keep probiotics in the fridge because they contain strains of live organisms. I take one every morning on an empty stomach and I can honestly say they have basically made my stomach indestructible. I recently got food poisoning for the first time in years. After the getting sick was over I took two for safe measure and felt 100% better the next morning! Everyone needs probiotics in their daily routine.
NOW Vitamin D-3 5,000 IU
I always knew vitamin D was important for your overall health but I assumed I got plenty of it living in Southern California. It turns out that most of us are vitamin D deficient and need at least 1000 IU a day. My dermatologist told me this almost a year ago and I’ve been taking vitamin D daily ever since! Vitamin D is also known to boost your mood and ease anxiety. I definitely have noticed that I’m more stress-free since starting Vitamin D. Of course I still stress out but now I deal with issues with more ease and get less emotional over little things. My multivitamin (listed above) has 1000 IU of Vitamin D but I felt like I needed a higher dose just because I’m inside for my job and definitely don’t get enough natural Vitamin D exposure. The recommended use of the NOW Vitamin D supplements is once every other day with a fat-containing meal. So I usually take this with lunch!
NOW Vitamin C-1000 Sustained Release
Everyone knows that Vitamin C helps boost the immune system. With this flu epidemic in full swing, I introduced more Vitamin C into my daily routine because my multivitamin only has 75mg which isn’t enough. I opted for the NOW Foods version because there are 250 tablets so they’ll last a long time and they have sustained release so the Vitamin C will stay in my body all day. These are water soluble so you don’t need to take them with food and your body will release any excess Vitamin C that it doesn’t need. Vitamin C is also known to help with collagen production and I’m all about anything that helps keep my skin looking young!
Natrol Vitamin B12 5,000mcg Tablets
I don’t take these every day just because I have plenty of B12 in my multivitamin, but I do take them when I feel like I need an extra boost of energy. I love that they’re a fast dissolve tablet that you don’t have to swallow because all my other vitamins are huge. Vitamin B12 promotes energy and a healthy nervous system so they’re perfect to take if you have a hard time concentrating. I feel like coffee has a similar effect on me but I’ll take one of these instead of the third cup of coffee on a day where my energy level is low.
Nature’s Way Ginger Root
Like I said before, I get nauseous fairly easily so I try to take ginger every day to keep it in check. Usually, a ginger chew will do the trick but if I already feel off or I know I’m traveling I’ll take the Nature’s Way Ginger Root. I take two of these with a full glass of water. If you don’t drink water with them you’ll taste the ginger for awhile and it’s very uncomfortable. Ginger is also good for joint health so if you exercise regularly these will help keep your joints in check.
Nature’s Way Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is a crazy thing. It’s such a big trend in skincare and even toothpaste now because of it’s magnetic properties, but I’ve been taking charcoal in supplement form for years. It truly helps trap gas and toxins in the body. Whenever I eat a food that doesn’t quite sit well I’ll take two of these and feel almost immediate relief. However, make sure you have water handy after taking these because it sucks up a lot of water in the body so the charcoal will make you very thirsty. Also, MAKE SURE to take charcoal at least three hours before or after other vitamins or prescriptions. It will cancel out anything that’s in the body at the same time.
NOW Apple Cider Vinegar
Everyone knows that Apple Cider Vinegar is a miracle ingredient. It can regulate blood sugar levels, reduced acid reflux, and even improve your skin health. However, it is the most disgusting thing on the planet. Really healthy individuals take it every day just to support their overall health but the acid is actually really bad for your teeth, so I decided to try the supplements. I don’t think they supplements work as well as the liquid form but they’re much easier to take! I don’t remember to take this everyday but I do take them when I start to feel sick because apple cider vinegar kills bacteria in the stomach.
Non-Drowsy Claritin
I know Claritan isn’t a supplement and more of a medicine, but I take it every day. My doctor told me years ago that any with seasonal allergies should take Claritin daily because it’s safe to use every day and it will prevent your allergies from occurring or at least getting worse. I definitely think Claritan helps control my dry eyes and congestion that’s associated with seasonal allergies.
Overall the supplements I take daily are my multivitamin, Vitamin C, and ginger. I don’t recommend taking ALL of these supplements on a daily basis but rather pick and choose what’s right for you on any given day. I would say to start with a multivitamin and go from there. You want to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need but you also don’t want to ooverdoit. I hope this helps!
xx, Britta